SB Nation - Mansfield Wrotto

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks - Open Thread

John Morgan — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:45:45 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Red Bryant (79) is an exciting tools talent desperate for NFL experience. Instead Seattle activates Craig Terrill.

Blow em out, Hawks.

H/T SSReporters:

INACTIVE: RB Louis Rankin, LB D.D. Lewis, G Mansfield Wrotto, DT Red Bryant, WR Nate Burleson, TE Cameron Morrah, DT Derek Walker.

Bucs inactives

INACTIVE: CB Derrick Roberson, DL Michael Bennett, G Shawn Murphy, T James Lee, WR Michael Clayton, WR Terrence Nunn, TE John Gilmore.

Seattle's season is over but for experience, yet Seattle refuses to play young players like Morrah, Walker and Bryant. When the season is in balance, even if only abstractly, I understand a team playing the best player.

Play the damn kids.

Winning with Seneca Wallace Part 3: Punchline

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:37:48 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

I'm free! Free me!

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Seattle adds an offensive tackle and transforms its offensive line. It adds a superstar rusher and pairs him with Julius Jones and Justin Forsett in a three-headed hell dog of a rush attack. Cerberus if you will. It takes all pressure off Seneca Wallace. It attempts to make him a franchise quarterback by reducing the standards for franchise quarterback to almost nothing. The Seneca Plan is executed and aided by impeccable scouting and tremendous dumb luck. The Seahawks add a return ace and cybernetic punter. Its defense clicks and coalesces into a rampaging monster. The Seneca Hawks are built and ready to storm the NFL.

They back their way into the playoffs and get blown out in the Wild Card round. When they can't get ahead early, they lose. When injuries run in and weaken the defense or rushing attack, they lose. When Seneca's unruly style meets his 30 year old body, they lose Seneca and slip out of contention. They become the Bears, the Titans, the Vikings or the Jaguars; they tease, they lose, they don't lose enough to rebuild and the franchise is mired in boring mediocrity.

Seattle cannot afford the Seneca Wallace Plan. It's as flawed as the thinking that landed them Brian Russell. This is a quarterback's league and that fact becomes more entrenched each passing season. Seattle has a talent on the out and it needs a talent on the in. Tim Ruskell has backed himself into an unenviable position. He has pressed his quarterback resources to exhaustion and failed to restock.

The Seneca Wallace bluff revealed, what can Seattle do? Free agency is thin. Seattle could sign Jason Campbell or Kellen Clemens and attempt to develop a young, but not yet prime quarterback prospect. It could patch with a reclamation project like Daunte Culpepper or David Carr. I can hear your heart beating with anticipation. It could draft a talent and hope he develops quickly. Or Seattle could attempt to do what Mike Holmgren did and trade for a promising looking quarterback talent stuck behind an entrenched veteran. Vetting that list is a lengthy process, but before we cannibalize too much of the offseason, let's brainstorm names to target.

Erik Ainge: Ainge was suspended for steroid use and that put a black mark on an already fringe prospect. I've always liked Ainge from a pure prospect standpoint. He was a four-year starter on a rather miserable Vols team that improved steadily from his freshman season. Ainge is 6'6" and a pure pocket passer. He was once considered a very good college prospect after shredding the PNW at Glencoe. Ainge is heavy with intangible red flags, but those flags may have little substance.

Brady Quinn: Quinn is a sack machine and well on his way to full bust status. His raw passing stats don't look bad, but he still has the sheen of quarterback prospect and that could make him expensive. There's little reason to think he'll shake the sacks that have plagued him for his entire career. Seattle could acquire him but they'll pay too much for a prospect never as good as many, including myself, thought he was.

Kevin Kolb: Kolb would have been a fine and dandy addition until he knuckle-slapped Kansas City and put himself into Matt Schaub country. Houston exchanged two second-round picks for Schaub and moved down two places in the first round. That is a lot to give for an unproven prospect, but it has worked for the Texans as Schaub has proven capable of top-ten production. Schaub has a slightly better scouting profile than Kolb, but never attained Kolb's regular season heights before being traded. It might take up to or even including one of Seattle's first round picks to swing a deal with Philadelphia, but it might just be worth it.

Brian Brohm: Brohm has faded as fast as any elite quarterback prospect in recent memory. He isn't controversial or speculated over. Brohm is buried. He was compared to Drew Brees by NFL Draft Scout and looked like Brees in college, completing a high percentage of throws and carrying a Louisville offense almost bereft of pro talent. The best receiver he played with was Harry Douglas, now a Falcon. The only other notable pro talent is Michael Bush and Bush missed most of Brohm's career.

Brohm sits on Green Bay's practice squad. Seattle could acquire Brohm simply by signing him to their 53 man roster. He could displace Mike Gibson, Mansfield Wrotto, rarely used and practice squad eligible Cameron Morrah or even Mike Teel. I try not to stump for everything I believe, but this one confounds me. Unless Brohm hides razor blades in Halloween apples, no team with a quarterback need should think twice about adding him and figuring out his potential for themselves.

And that is about it. Seattle could inquire about Jim Sorgi, but Sorgi is already 28. Quarterback is the most essential single position perhaps in all of sport. A great one like Peyton Manning can make his team a perennial contender. Teams that lack a quarterback must conceive farfetched plans that lead from failure to postponed failure. This need is overdue and my tenuous faith in Tim Ruskell is tested each offseason he ignores it. It is time Seattle becomes aggressive about finding the successor to Matt Hasselbeck, because no one wants to see the Seneca Wallace Plan enacted.

Rodney Hudson Majors in Recreation, Leisure and Putting a Hole in Somebody

John Morgan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:02:42 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

When your line is this bad, you'll argue anything to stay out from under center.

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It's the bye week and that has inspired laziness in me. I have three plans for this weekend: sit in my underwear, watch football and drink. I love the Seahawks, but the up and down can be tiring. I go into the bye week happy to have a week off and exit ravenous for Seahawks football. Nothing inspires like a hollow, but nevertheless piquant Monday after the bye hangover. God bless ritual.

So I am sitting here eying a copy of 'Confessions' I just found again and thinking about the lineup for Saturday and Sunday. In the spirit of taking it easy, here is the first in an annotated viewer's guide for a weekend off, starting today, not coincidentally.

The Guard that Completes the Seahawks: Tim Ruskell has become too easy. His process is so transparent that Doug and I both accidentally arrived at Seattle signing Jason Campbell without ever discussing it. Campbell doesn't get a chance to checkdown until Monday, but today, this very day, a player will play that Seattle will target if he declares.

Given the dire state of Florida State football, Rodney Hudson should and I assume will declare. Why should you care about Hudson? Because he is to the Alex Gibbs system what Steve Hutchinson was to the Mike Holmgren system. Ok, that's a stretch, but not as much as you might think. 6'2", 285 pound guards have not qualified as first round talent in over 10 years. The last slight mauler to attract first round attention was Pete Kendall in 1996.

The Dennis Erickson era is not remembered fondly by Seahawks fans and rightly. Erickson was neither exciting, new nor successful, has since coached a division rival, and a few Pac-10 foes (depending on your allegiance). Kendall was something he did right. Late first round picks sometimes produce Ray Lewis or Randy Moss, but with their talent you get the person, and it's a trade off that makes even the best case scenario a bit of a headache. More frequently, a late first round talent is a nine-tenths players. A player that looks like an NFL player and plays like an NFL players but has some nagging weakness that pushes him down.

Hudson is a converted left tackle that moves like a running back. I dare say I am as excited for Hudson as am I for any guard I have seen in the last three years. I had my thing for Justin Blalock, but I liked Blalock as a project. I had my thing for Sam Baker, but I liked Baker as a plug and play left tackle. I had my thing for Duke Robinson, but I say, if anyone has ever completely failed the pre-draft process worse than Robinson, his name is Maurice Clarett.

Hudson isn't about potential or pipe dreams or why the crap not use your fifth round pick to select him, he is about starting next year and completing Seattle's offensive line.

Here's why:

My preliminary scouting sees a short, but wide-framed guard-tackle tweener that will fill out gradually as he ages but never be big. He isn't shaped like a can like Mansfield Wrotto, but like a tight end. What excited me though, aside from the fact that he is a legitimate Ruskell target and was born by Alex Gibbbs in a laboratory, is this relatively little dude has judo strength. It's all quick unassuming movements and flying defenders. He moves, cuts, finishes and has the foot speed to lead a screen halfway down the field. He is nasty, not Incognito nasty, but Aaron Curry nasty. He drops foes and breaks bones and apologizes and offers a hand afterward.

You'll read a lot about Hudson needing to add weight, but what he needs is the right system. His weight and the league's perception of guards should push him into the second round. That has me excited. Maybe you will be too after watching him tonight. And if you do watch for Hudson, watch NC outside linebacker Bruce Carter. It is unlikely Carter declares this year, but he provides something as a cover linebacker that is deeply underappreciated in this league. He did this to our beloved quarterback of the future.

Nice throw, Mike.

The game starts at 4:30 Pacific on ESPN. I think Tim Ruskell does for the offensive line this offseason what he did for the wide receiver, tight end, running back and linebacker positions in offseasons past.

Auditing the Seahawks Roster: Left Guard

John Morgan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:05:22 -0000

Seattle needs better everything at guard. It is neither top heavy with talent nor deep with potential. It has one player with good potential that does not fit the scheme well and a host of generic offensive linemen and project players.

Rob Sims: Once upon a time, Rob Sims was probably the worst player you heard too much of. Mike Holmgren was never satisfied with Sims. Maybe it was holdover hostility for Ruskell losing Steve Hutchinson. Maybe Sims wasn't matched for Holmgren's demanding system of pull blocks. Maybe Sims was a more convenient target than Shaun Alexander. It seems almost implausible now, but many who followed the Seahawks, perhaps Holmgren believed it too, thought Sims was holding back Alexander in 2007.

I may have gotten too caught up defending Sims. I do not think I ever overstated his abilities, but rather I might have been too conservative for fear I would rile the Alexander partisans. You don't want to fight a battle on multiple fronts if you can avoid it, and to me defending Sims was auxiliary to identifying how awful Alexander had become.

Then Sims lost all of 2008. The debate was shelved. Talk ran to whether Julius Jones was fair, middling, mediocre or average. Mike Wahle showed us what good feet, good experience and a pair of arms hanging from zip ties could do - and could not do.

So it was with a bit of surprise that I saw Sims not just returning, returning to form or developing this season, but actually kicking ass. Sims was beginning to pair the steadiness and forgetability he had displayed as a pass blocker with mobility, lock down ability and dominance as a run blocker.

Then he got hurt again.

Sims is a restricted free agent this offseason. It could or should be a no brainer to retain him, but I am not sure it will be. Though Sims played tackle for part of his college career, and though Sims has good in-line quickness and straight line speed, he is not the prototypical, athletic-but-undersized zone lineman. He isn't tripping over his own feet anymore like he did in 2007, but he's not pulling out and commanding a position the way Wahle did in 2008, either.

This is a position Seattle can get better at. I've often thought of Sims as a right guard, regardless of where he played at Ohio State. But this isn't a position Seattle must upgrade to succeed. Sims is young, developing, a good pass blocker and, for at least one more season, cheap.

Mansfield Wrotto: Steve Vallos started over Wrotto last Sunday. Mr. Wrotto, say hello to Mr. Atkins.

Steve Vallos: Vallos has earned his stripes as the utility offensive lineman fans absolutely cringe at, "real" fans speak of in glowing coach speak, and real fans know is an interchangeable company man that will be cut and promoted to line coach the day he gets hurt, expensive or says "No."

"Vallos! Grab me that ShamWow, Matt needs to put his helmet on and it's sticking."

The Offensive Line Part 4: A Failure Not Earned

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

It's hard not to be mad after yesterday's travesty, but class, and the ability to direct one's anger where it belongs, separates the losers of yesterday and the losers of tomorrow.

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Offensive line, right? It's a joke made thousands of times since 2005. From what little I saw of yesterday's game, the line was bad enough to kill the offense itself. The Seahawks week six line, Kyle Williams - Steve Vallos - Chris Spencer - Max Unger - Ray Willis, is the worst line Seattle has started since Tim Ruskell took over. Williams and Vallos are essentially replacement level talent, and Spencer to Willis is not the kind of intimidating right side that can hide a piecemeal left.

Seattle was poorly built but lucky in 2007 and as things turn out, it has been well built but unlucky in 2009. Kyle Williams was never meant to start. Seattle imported a player from across the country to keep Williams on its practice squad. Williams was buried behind Sean Locklear, Brandon Frye and theoretically Walter Jones.

Let's blow up the Jones situation again. Jones underwent microfracture knee surgery last fall. I thought that might be the end of his career, but I was in error. It might still be the end of his playing career, but Jones is very much a Seahawk and very much on the Seahawks roster. He cost $8.6 million against the cap each of the last two seasons and I believe costs even more than that this season. Maybe Jones is never going to play again, but in Ruskell's world, Jones is an investment and a failing one Seattle can't shake.

Before training camp, Jones passed his physicals. His microfracture surgery was a success. The rub is that the procedure is not likely to preserve Jones career and its short term consequences have left Jones unable to play. So the greatest player in Seahawks history, through no fault of his own or others, has become a big, fat boondoggle.

Seattle did invest into its tackle position. It signed Locklear to a contract with incentives if he stuck at left tackle. Locklear has been reasonably healthy and had shown some skills that could translate. The team was not relying on Locklear for its future, but with the entire tackle situation queered by Jones health, Locklear represented a cheap, low-downside bridge from the Jones era to whatever followed. Seattle re-signed Ray Willis to a two-year, inexpensive contract. Willis seems like a steal now that his early-career health problems are behind him. Funny how unpredictable injuries are.

Seattle's success kept it just outside 2008's historic offensive tackle class and it's hard to discredit Seattle for selecting Aaron Curry fourth overall in 2009. Linebacker is not typically a foundational position, but Stafford was gone, Sanchez was iffy, the tackle class overblown -- its best talent taken at two and its second best talent Andre Smith. Eugene Monroe is tossed around, but Monroe had serious injury concerns. He started the season for Jacksonville but has since been benched. If you saw the solution to Seattle's offensive line woes on October 11, you weren't sitting in Qwest Field.

At the time and in the short term, Curry appears to be the right pick. Seattle then traded its second round pick for the 2010 first round pick of the Denver Broncos. It was team with a rookie coach, Kyle Orton at quarterback and one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2008. It was a smart decision then and whatever has happened since doesn't change that.

Unless it wasn't a smart decision. Eben Britton was available. He is playing right tackle now and may forever play right tackle. Seattle could have selected Andy Levitre, though Levitre is a guard. It could have drafted William Beatty, but neither player has done much for their respective teams. Instead it traded that pick for a better pick and traded back into the second to draft Max Unger. Unger has started all season and seems mostly competent for a rookie right guard.

So it was a smart decision. And yet Seattle's offensive line is in ruins. That is a microcosm for this entire debate. Tim Ruskell has made many smart decisions, but the Seahawks are not winning games. A general manager's job is to build a winning football team. Seattle is 6-20 over the last two seasons. It has clear and recognizable weaknesses at offensive line and in the secondary. Both are units Ruskell has invested in.

Ruskell drafted Ray Willis and he starts. He drafted Chris Spencer and Spencer starts, but has missed time because of injury. He draft Rob Sims and Sims starts, but has missed time because of injury. He drafted Unger, the rookie. He signed Sean Locklear as a low-downside stop-gap until the team could know what to do with Walter Jones, and Locklear's injury has been felt worst of all. He drafted Steve Vallos and Mansfield Wrotto, but Vallos has shifted around and started bad. Wrotto can't seem to impress Seattle's coaches. He got Brandon Frye for nothing, but Frye went down, and Williams for nothing, his asking price, and Damion McIntosh for almost nothing, but maybe a week too late.

Ruskell built his line through the draft and without great expenditure. His picks have been mostly mild to moderate successes. He may not envision an elite line or maybe just never saw value when Seattle was on the clock. That might be arguable, but it isn't indefensible.

So how did the offensive line become offensive? Injuries, age and one very bad decision, it would seem. Steve Hutchinson hangs over Ruskell. Walter Jones, Robbie Tobeck and Chris Gray got old. Jones, through not fault of anyone, has become a burden. Locklear, the young tackle many were gushing about in 2005 has suffered a rash of disconnected injuries. Sims, the young guard many were gushing about in 2006 has suffered a rash of disconnected injuries. Kris Dielman said "no". Unger is a rookie. Spencer has been competent and not too long ago was a steady, established starter. Mike Wahle filled in for a season before his body broke down. Tom Ashworth was expunged. No one Ruskell inherited from 2004 except Hutchinson who was worth retaining wasn't retained.

Revisiting Ruskell's decisions when they were made does not reveal great missed opportunities, but missed opportunities. It does not reveal a general manager that ran a historically great line into the ground, but instead one crucial mistake and the irrepressible destructiveness of time. It does not reveal a man who ignored the line, but added good talent to it, good overall, good respective to the available players and good respective to their cost. It reveals that yesterday's game, awful as it was, is the kind of game every franchise endures. Ozzie Newsome saw it week one of 2007. Bill Polian saw it in week three of 1987.

They saw, we saw, an everyday, frustrating as hell, meltdown -- The kind that happens every Sunday. But there's no heads to call for and no easy answers to rebuilding.

The Offensive Line Part 3: The Healthy Year

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:51:01 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Players like Matt Hasselbeck make but also create hard decisions. He has been undoubtedly Seattle's greatest quarterback ever, but when is too soon to prepare for the future? And how can you win when you know the player you acquire is not likely better than Hasselbeck's past?

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Steve Hutchinson is an amazing talent. Seattle wasn't building a line of amazing talents. Chris Gray was sagging, Walter Jones in decline, Sean Locklear as serviceable as ever and Chris Spencer and Rob Sims still getting their feet wet. But it had a healthy line. Jones missed one game, the only game missed by Seattle's starting five, and he missed that game as a precaution. It's not well remembered today, but Seattle's 2007 offense was good, even with Shaun Alexander. It was a twelth ranked offense and a 9^th ranked passing offense. The run game was solid outside of Alexander. Maurice Morris had his best season as a pro.

Seattle was healthy in 2007 and other than right guard, it did not seem to have pressing needs at offensive line. Jones was writing the book on modern dominance at left tackle and his historic peers at the position commonly played into their mid- to late-thirties. Sims and Spencer were the subject of Mike Holmgen's scorn, but neither player played that bad, and both were still very young at a position that historically peaks late.

The big flub happened in 2006 and hurt Seattle in the 2007 draft. Tim Ruskell traded the Seahawks first round pick for Deion Branch and then signed him to a six-year, $39 million. He desperately wanted out from Darrell Jacksons's contract, could not retain Joe Jurevicius after Vicious signed for less to play for his hometown Browns, had no interest in keeping Jeremy Stevens, was about to lose Bobby Engram to Graves Disease, and had signed Nate Burleson as a inexpensive project wide receiver and return man. Burleson has fulfilled both roles well. He has cost Seattle $2, $3.5 and $4 million against the cap his first three seasons.

Ruskell saw the Seahawks a contender and didn't see a better opportunity to add a wide receiver. He may have reached a bit, but the enormity of his decision is overblown. Late first round picks are seldom superstars and often outright busts. Had Seattle switched Branch for a generic, late-first round receiver, that receiver would have underperformed the disappointing Branch. It could have used that pick elsewhere however. It could have drafted Ben Grubbs, Arron Sears or Justin Blalock. All three have been solid, though Sears career may be over after a frightening concussion.

This marks the point where we can first say Ruskell was deemphasizing the offensive line. He didn't add significant talent in a significantly talented class, opting instead to draft project player, Mansfield Wrotto, in the fourth. The team made a run at Kris Dielman, but when Dielman frowned at Seattle's weather and went home to San Diego to sign for less, the Seahawks didn't have a plan ‘B'. Its good health at offensive line may have hidden a rotting foundation. Chris Gray started 16 but arguably shouldn't have started one. Excepting Jones, it wasn't very talented, and the youth movement Ruskell started with Spencer, Willis and Sims, was not added to or challenged. Tom Ashworth and Floyd Womack were still primary depth and the most promising successor to Jones was Locklear.

The year that Ruskell's plan was its most effective was also the year Ruskell's plan looked most ominous. Seattle didn't land one of that free agent class's big name guards and didn't acquire talent that could start in a pinch. Had the same injuries occurred that year as have this, Seattle was thinner and weaker and more likely to collapse with Tom Ashworth, Mansfield Wrotto and Steve Vallos thrust into action than even Kyle Williams, modern Wrotto and modern Vallos.

But it didn't and line depth didn't seem like such an awful big deal in 2007. What line could look good blocking Shaun Alexander? It had young parts, an ageless veteran and a defense that was starting to look like the future of the team.

Matchups: Chris Spencer, Max Unger and Steve Vallos/Mansfield Wrotto V. Bryan Robinson, Alan Branch, Darnell Dockett and Gabe Watson

John Morgan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:35:13 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Arizona had trouble rushing against Arizona. Alan Branch (78) is on the back just as he receives the hand off.

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With the stages of execution described, we can now explore the matchups that will determine if that execution is successful. The many individual matchups that must be won explain why teams do not break long runs on every attempt. In a way, the stages help determine the -1 to 2 yards, 0 to 5 yards, and 5 to n yards of the run.

Chris Spencer, Max Unger and Steve Vallos/Mansfield Wrotto versus Bryan Robinson, Darnell Dockett, Alan Branch and Gabe Watson: Dockett is the most talented of the group, but as a one-gap player, I do not think he is likely to play nose against a two tight end front. If Dockett is in, the play will turn less on if Seattle can move Dockett, Unger and Spencer should be able to, but more if Dockett can tie up Spencer or, more likely, break Unger's single block and get back into the play. When Dockett is in, Julius Jones should be cutting back inside to help neutralize his speed and perhaps take advantage of over-pursuit.

Robinson is the starter and he rotates with Branch. This is the matchup that will do much to determine if Seattle can run. A giant among giants, Branch was once dubbed a top ten overall selection, but very real concerns about his effort dropped him into the second round. He hasn't done much for Arizona since being drafted, but he's only 24. Branch has begun to establish himself this season.

Whoever the nose, and Arizona sometimes plays a double nose and a 2-4 in nickel situations, the Cardinals have a young, powerful and huge defensive line that is difficult to move. Indianapolis had some success running delays to the outside. Whatever the play call, outside is the destination.

Seattle's interior may wish only to battle to a stalemate. Branch and Robinson move well off the line and both are athletic within their space. The two make it difficult to disengage and move into the second level. Branch's power off threatens an interior collapse on every snap and rushers can have trouble receiving the hand off without defenders in their face.

That is why you draft Chris Spencer. Once a upon a time, he could move out and wall off nose tackles with ease. There wasn't a nose tackle in football short of Vince Wilfork I would bet against Spencer. But it's been a long time since we've seen that power, even as his technique has begun to catch up with his athleticism. Seattle's mishmash of guards matter, but a fraction as much as Spencer. If Spencer can stagger the nose off the snap, Unger or Vallos can exploit the momentum enough for Spencer to release. If he can't, Jones will miss essential second level blocking. If Spencer cannot even control Branch or Robinson off the snap, Jones will be facing a pile upon receiving the hand off.

Rob Sims Out with an Ankle Injury and Lesser News

John Morgan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:33:07 -0000

Patrick Kerney likely being out next week would not usually classify as lesser news, but Kerney is at the tail-end of his career and the team benefits from the excuse to start Darryl Tapp. That was one of the tidbits detailed by Danny O'Neil following Jim Mora's press conference, along with the release of Kyle Williams, the re-signing of Justin Griffith and a conveniently tentative but hopeful update on Matt Hasselbeck. Remember when Hasselbeck was such a trooper he was ready to play against the Bears and didn't remember even going to the hospital? This Sunday should mark the third straight contest he doesn't start, and complete 14 consecutive quarters he's missed.

The news-news is Sims. Sims is Seattle's best interior lineman and best, position adjusted, offensive linemen Seattle regularly starts. He has improved in bounds as a run blocker, showing vertical quickness to offset his suspect lateral agility, and is as ever a great pass blocker. Following his career revival in New York, Sims' terrible series against Kris Jenkins seems much less terrible. The ankle injury doesn't sound too severe, and while I hate missing Sims, Wrotto deserves a chance to prove he can be more than depth. Taking the long view on this season certainly numbs some of the sting of injuries.

Mansfield Wrotto will start in place of Sims, and Wrotto isn't too bad really. He should be starting ahead of Max Unger. Unger is getting the Lawrence Jackson experience over production treatment, allowed to miss blocks and be walked over in the name of potential, and if Jackson is any indication, maybe it's worth it. I wonder when Seattle stops playing for tomorrow and starts scraping out wins today.

Kerney is the other Ruskell selection I will spotlight. Look for a piece on his first quarter in just a bit.

The Significance of Seattle Signing Brandon Frye

John Morgan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:35:23 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

If you remember Doug Free, 68, you are old school.

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You might be surprised to read that Brandon Frye is a former Field Gulls superstar. Well, not Courtney Taylor big, but Frye was quite lauded before the 2007 draft. He was listed as one of my top ten offensive linemen at the 2007 NFL Combine because of his combined bench, short shuttle and 32 ½" vertical at 301. That list looks pretty good right now. Joe Thomas and Justin Blalock are young stars. Tony Ugoh and Allen Barbre are starters. Doug Free is the Cowboys backup for Flozell Adams at left tackle. Of the remaining players, only James Marten is as low as practice squad. The other four are on their teams' 53 man roster*.

That now includes Frye. I first saw Frye at right tackle, but his height and stoutness had me thinking guard by April of 2007. He was featured on my Sleepers list** because:

Frye didn't blow anyone away at the combine, but there is a lot to like about his recent performance at Virginia Tech. Like a 705 pound squat, 34" vertical, a 4.31 shuttle and a 29/38 on the Wonderlic. Frye is projected to slip into the second day on many draft boards, because, in large part, questions about his technique. Perhaps time will prove me wrong, but while I think technique is undervalued for skill position players, I think it's overvalued for lineman. Frye seems like a bright guy, and his body is NFL ready. If things play out like many have predicted, some smart team is going to get a very good right tackle or guard in the second day.

Houston drafted him in the fifth round but Frye was later released. Miami signed him, and he was worked into their guard rotation at the end of 2008. Miami has cut him and the Seahawks have now signed Brandon Frye and cut Kyle Williams. Williams is headed to the practice squad. Frye is now much what he was then. He's a powerfully built, athletic and agile lineman that creates huge explosion off the line and can move well in space. He gives Seattle another Mansfield Wrotto - another high upside guard that needs a lot of work on his technique. The Seahawks zone blocking scheme, with its emphasis on agility, open field blocking and quick decision making, should bring out the best in Frye.

I can't help it. I am excited. This is sort of homecoming. I hope Frye sticks and becomes somebody as a Seahawk. In this post-Brian Russell era, it's nice to be reminded that Field Gulls spends about 90% of its resources championing young players and only about 5% ripping veterans. The other 5%? Profantiy, pretention and carousing.

*I'll have to dust that formula off prior to the 2010 NFL Combine.

**That Adrian Peterson sure sucks, eh?

Seattle Seahawks Announce 53 Man Roster, Marcus Trufant to PUP List

John Morgan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:18:30 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Goodbye and good luck.

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Seattle has announced its 53-man roster. That roster does not include Marcus Trufant, who will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. That's bad news, but hopefully the right decision. Seattle rushed Deion Branch last season and effectively lost his roster spot.

The roster reflects a major youth movement with some fringe guys unseating former regulars. Could this be reflective of changing opinions on replacement value? A movement towards freeing cap space next year?

Courtesy Danny O'neil:


		Offense

Quarterback		Running backs		Fullback
Matt Hasselbeck	Seneca Wallace	Julius Jones	Edgerrin James	Justin Griffith
Mike Teel		Justin Forsett		Owen Schmitt
Offensive line		Wide receivers		Tight end
Sean Locklear	Walter Jones	Deion Branch	Nate Burleson	John Carlson
Max Unger	Rob Sims	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	Deon Butler	John Owens
Steve Vallos	Chris Spencer	Ben Obomanu		Cameron Morrah
Ray Willis	Mansfield Wrotto
Kyle Williams

		Defense

Defensive ends		Defensive tackles		Cornerbacks
Patrick Kerney	Cory Redding	Brandon Mebane	Colin Cole	Ken Lucas
Darryl Tapp	Lawrence Jackson	Red Bryant	Craig Terrill	Josh Wilson
Nick Reed	Derek Walker	Michael Bennett		Kelly Jennings
				Travis Fisher (!)

Linebackers		Safeties		Specialists
Lofa Tatupu	Aaron Curry	Deon Grant	Jordan Babineaux	Olindo Mare
Leroy Hill	Lance Laury	Lawyer Milloy	C.J. Walllace	Jon Ryan
Will Herring	David Hawthorne			Kevin Houser

CUTS: S Jamar Adams, DE Baraka Atkins, K Brandon Coutu, G Brian De La Puente, CB Marquis Floyd, T Na'Shan Goddard, S Courtney Greene, WR Mike Hass, CB Kevin Hobbs, FB David Kirtman, RB Devin Moore, CB Nate Ness, TE Joe Newton, WR Logan Payne, LB Dave Philistin, T Andre Ramsey, T William Robinson, QB Jeff Rowe, WR Courtney Taylor.

10 Quick Opinions:

Walter Jones is on the roster: This speaks for itself. Get well Franchise.
Seattle is super thin at Corner and Safety: This could foreshadow further moves.
Courtney Taylor Cut: It came down to the fourth preseason game and Ben Obomanu put the decision to rest.
Seattle deep at linebacker but no D.D. Lewis: I've never been a huge fan of Lewis. He is credited for being able to play any linebacker position, but he doesn't seem to play any of them well.
Special Teams: The lack of depth at wide receiver and safety means Seattle could struggle on cover units.
No Jordan Kent: Kent wasn't placed on IR. He was waived with a settlement. I think that ends his playing career. Other teams might ask, but will Kent answer?
Cameron Morrah: I didn't see much from Morrah, so Seattle must be convinced he is too good to cut. Interesting talent Seattle will let mature, but if a starting tight end goes down, I don't think Morrah is ready to contribute.
Derek Walker: Great size and showed up in the preseason. Walker could be the dark horse replacement for Cory Redding. Get your head up, today you are an NFL player.
Lots of depth on Offensive Line: With this many question marks and injuries, can you blame the Seahawks?
This is not over: One deadline met, but days to complete this roster. I doubt it will like it does today next Sunday.

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